Canadian author Robin Sharma, known for his book "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", is in India
Canadian author Robin Sharma, known for his book "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", is in India to promote his latest book. NDTV spoke to the author on what inspires him and makes him a successful author. Rabindranath Tagore and the Taj Mahal are among the people and places that have influenced him, he said.
"'The 5 Am Club' is this exceptional inspirational roller coaster ride that shares the morning routine of the great women and men of the world. It's a blend of neuroscience and philosophy on living a great life along with some specific daily practical routines that tell people how to be much more creative and productive," Robin Sharma said.
"When I was growing up, my dad used to recite poems of Rabindranath Tagore. He used to say, when you are born you cry while the world rejoices. Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries and you rejoice," the author said when he was asked about his growing up years and how his father, who came from Jammu and Kashmir, made it to medical school.
"One of the chapters in the book is set in the Taj Mahal... the Taj Mahal has influenced me, the philosophy of India has very much influenced me," the author added.
When asked about what is one of the biggest hindrances to personality development today, the author said, "If you look around the world, we see people who are not human beings anymore but cyber zombies. They are giving the best hours of their day to this little screen. I say in the book, you can change the world and dominate your domain or you can play with your phone all day. You don't get to do both," Robin Sharma said.
"So my humble plea is use caution. Use technology as a servant, don't let technology be your god. Otherwise you are going to get to the end of your life and you will have to say, 'You know I played with a lot of apps, I had a lot of social media likes but I never really materialised my gifts and talents and I never really made a difference in the world'," he said.